Reflection on Today's Readings, Thursday of 3rd Week of Easter, Year B, April 22nd, 2021
Texts: Acts 8:26-40; Ps. 66:8-9.16-17.20; John 6:44-51
God comes to help us in our journey of salvation. Whoever desires salvation is never in want of God's help. God comes to enlighten us and strengthen us to journey on. Hence, in today's gospel reading, Jesus says, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God." Jesus reminds us of the trinitarian dimension of our salvation: the Father initiates it, the Son gives eternal life with the power of God, the Holy Spirit. The point, here, is that the Trinity is the foundation of our salvation; we are to believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each of them reveals the other two. Hence, any claim to know one without the knowledge of the other two is false and a lie. For this, Jesus says, "Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father." This means to come to the Father is to come to the Son and also there is no knowledge of the Father without the Son. It is in the Son we have the true knowledge of the Father. This assures us that those of us who know the Father through the Son have the true knowledge of the Father. This tells us that we are on the right path of salvation. This gives us confidence and courage to move on in the path of salvation shown us in the gospel, His good news to us.
Today's first reading tells us the story of how God came to the help of the Ethiopian Eunuch. God sent Philip to teach him the way of salvation. Philip showed him the way of salvation through the Good News of Jesus. It is said, "Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news of Jesus." The sure path of salvation is the Good News of Jesus, for through Him we know the Father and receive the Holy Spirit.
The gospel emphasizes the role of God the Father in evangelization, the first reading shows us the role of the Holy Spirit in the evangelization God the Father infused the desire for salvation in the Eunuch while the Holy Spirit fanned into flame the desire; the Father planted the faith while the Holy Spirit grows it.
The first reading also leaves us with the fact that divine mission is not fully understood until the end and that obedience is the key to success in divine mission. Philip was not told of the assignment but only asked to leave for Gaza. It is said, "An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” The assignment unfolded gradually as he obeyed. It is said, "And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, ... And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ... Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news of Jesus."
Such a mission embarked upon by Philip requires faith, for it is a mission with little or no understanding of what to do but embarked upon in trust of Him who called. This reminds us once again that our journey of salvation is the journey of faith, journey embarked upon in trust of Him whose words we encounter in the scriptures. In today's gospel reading, Jesus says, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Jesus has given us His flesh and blood under the appearance of bread and wine respectively. The Scripture says, "Then Jesus took a piece of bread, gave thanks to God, broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.' In the same he gave them the cup after the supper, saying, 'This is God's new covenant sealed with my blood, which is poured out for you'" (Luke 22:19-20). We are to take this in obedience and faith and receive the bread of life. Obedience in faith is what sets us on the path of salvation. Let us continue to obey in faith, no matter what.
God the Father, we beg You to always draw us close to Your Son, our salvation and grant us Your Spirit that we might be holy to You. Amen.
Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
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